Abstract

Solutions of gum rosin and acetone reproduce the volatile- and temperature-dependent viscosity, together with the phase behaviour, of hydrated magmas. A range of experimental exsolution conditions was investigated, including the variation of supersaturation, rate of decompression, solution temperature and volatile content. Degassing processes were controlled by the formation of an exsolution interface above a supersaturated liquid. The end-products ranged from a mildly degassed liquid to a solid foam, which preserved strained vesicles. Solutions of gum rosin and acetone are proposed as a suitable analogue system with which to study magma degassing processes.